Entry table for slitting mills



Jan. 12, 1954 w L 2,665,756

ENTRY TABLE FOR SLITTING MILLS Filed Jan. 4, 1951 2 Sheets-Shet 1 INVENTOR. RALPH W HALL W 2 Afgys.

R. W. HALL ENTRY TABLE FOR SLITTING MILLS Jan. 12, 1954 '2 Sheets-Sheet2 Filed Jan. 4, 1951 INVENTOR. RALPH W HALL Patented Jan. 12, i954 ENTRYTABLE FOR SLITTING MILLS Ralph W. Hall, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor toThe Randall Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio ApplicationJanuary 4, 1951, Serial No. 204,431

2 Claims. (01. 16461) This invention relates to a slitting mill or gangslitter for slitting sheet metal as it is uncoiled from a coil, intoribbons or strips of predetermined width. More particularly, thisinvention relates to an entry table for a gang slitter.

An object of this invention is to provide an entry table with a supportbearing so arranged and constructed that the entry table can be turnedon a bearing towards or from the mill whereby free access is had to themill when cutters need to be serviced or changed. 7

The entry table carries pinch rolls which must be driven while the leadend of sheet metal from a coil is advanced through the cutters, and afurther object of this invention is to provide a drive for pinch rollsof a swinging entry table.

A further object of this invention is to provide an entry table for aslitting mill of this type having a pinch roll drive which is connectedduring threading or feeding of the lead end of the sheet into the milland may be disconnected when the mill is in operation. 1

The above and other objects and features of the invention will in partbe obvious and will in part be apparent from the following detaileddescription, and the drawings, in which:

Figure l is a schematic view in end elevation showing a slitting linehaving a slitting mill or gang slitter provided with an entry tableconstructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the slitter illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged View partly in end elevation and partly in sectionof the entry table;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the entry table; and

Fig. 5 is a view in section taken on a line V--V in Fig. 2.

In the following detailed description, and the drawings, like referencecharacters indicate like parts.

In the drawings a slitter mill I of standard or known construction isshown. The mill is pro vided with cutter arbors 2 and 3 and is designedto slit a relatively wide strip of sheet metal 4 into a plurality ofnarrow strips as the sheet is unwound from a coil 5 mounted on anuncoiler 6. The plurality of strips leaving the exit or output side ofthe mill are coiled on a recoiler 1.

The slitter mill is provided with an entry table 8 on the entering sideof the mill. Thi entry table is so designed that it can be moved to orfrom the mill to facilitate access to the cutters on the arbors when itbecomes necessary to service the mill for one reason or another, as whenthe knives are changed, the spacing between knives is adjusted inaccordance with the width of the strips into which the sheet is to becut, when the cutter arbors require adjustment, or in the setting up ofthe mill for any particular job.

In prior art slitter mills as well as in the mill of this application,scrap choppers and other auxiliary devices are placed close to the exitside of the mill so that the operators of the mill cannot work on thecutter arbors from that side. Also in prior art mills, the entry tablesare fixed to the mills so that free access cannot be had to the arborsfrom the entry side of themill. Therefore, the operators could work onthe cutter arbors from the ends thereof only or from above.

The present entry table as constructed can be swung into operative orclosed position in which it abuts the slitter or away from the slitterto open. position. In the latter position the entire entry side of themill is accessible. As shown in Figs. 2-4 the entry table comprises acantilever bed Ill. The bed is supported by a vertical thrust bearing I2at one end thereof. The thrust hear-- ing, in turn is supported on ajournal box 13. Journal box i3 is attached to one side of the frameworkof the slitter mill adjacent one end of the cutter arbors. The journalbox receives a journal or trunnion [4 which extends downwardly from thecantilever bed. The journal is steadied by a horizontal thrust bearingis at the lower end of the journal box. A brace I! extends from thelower end of the journal to the outboard end of the cantilever bed andsupports the outboard end of the bed.

The entry table carries an idle entry roll ll, edge guides l8 and a pairof pinch rolls l9 and 2 l. The idle roll receives the sheet fromuncoiler 6 and the edge guides center the sheet as it passes to thepinch rolls and between the cutter arbors. As shown, the edge guides aremounted on transverse bars 22 and are adjustable along the guide bars toany selected position.

The pinch rolls are mounted in and extend between columns 23 and 24(Fig. 2). Columns 23 and 24 extend u wardly from opposite ends of theentry table. The columns contain compression springs 26 which force thepinch rolls towards each other and cause them to grip the sheet firmly.

During threading of the slitting line, the pinch rolls are driven toadvance the lead end of the sheet. b a drive shaft 21. Shaft 21 is couled to pinch roll 2| and extends therefrom in the direction of the axisof journal I4. Drive shaft 21 is provided with a driven spur gear 28that meshes with a driving spur gear 29. Gear 29 is mounted on a driveshaft 31 which may be driven in any appropriate manner, not shown. Gear28 turns with and is slideable along shaft 21, as shown in Fig. and canbe shifted into mesh and out of mesh with gear 29. Gear 28 includes acollar 32 (Fig. 4.) which is engaged by a shifter fork 33 (Fig. 2). Pork33 in turn is attached to a shifter shaft 34. Shaft 34 extends under thepinch rolls and is provided with a handle 36 by means of which gear 28can be shifted into and.

out of engagement with gear 29. The gears-are put in mesh and powerdriven during threading of the sheet into the slitting mill whereby thepinch rolls can advance the lead end of the sheet. When the slittingline is in normal operation, gear 28 is taken out of mesh with gear 29,and the strip is pulled through the pinch rolls and the cutter arbors bythe recoiler which is power driven.

During normal operation of the slitting line,

entry table 8 is latched in the closed position, as shown in Figs. l 3.A latch bolt 3'! holds the entry table in this position. In the closedposition of the table the pinch rolls, idle entry roll and edge guidesupporting bars are parallel to the cutter arbors on the entry side ofthe mill. A scrap chopper 38- (Fig. 1) extends across the outlet ordischarge side of the slitter. The scrap chopper cuts or chops up scrapstrips trimmed from edges of the sheet so that the scrap strips canreadily be disposed of. The scrap chopper is of conventional form and isnot shown in detail.

When it is necessary to change or adjust the cutters on the cutterarbors, latch bolt 3! is released and the entry table is swung back toopen position to give access to the entire entry side of the slitter, asshown in Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 2, the cutter arbors are journalled inthe head assemblies 39 and 41. Head assembly 39 is removable. As shownin Fig. 1, head assembly 33 is mounted in ways s2 so that it can bemoved axially of the cutter arbors. As shown in Fig. 2, head. assembly39 can be moved by means of a screw 43. Head assembly 39 can be moved tothe left as shown in Fig. 2, to disengage the necks of the arborswhereby the cutters and the spacers can be changed, adjusted, orinspected. When the head assembly 39 is removed from the neci-zs of thearbcrs' and entry table 32 is swung toopen position, the entire entryside of the mill is completely accessible. Free access to cut-'ter'arbors may thus be had for changing and servicing the cutters.

The machine described above and illustrated 4 in the drawings is subjectto structural modification without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention.

Therefore, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

'1. A slitting mill comprising a frame carrying cutter arbors, an entrytable adapted to provide free access to the cutter arbors of the mill,

said table comprising an entry frame at the ena trance side of the millin front of said cutter arbors and independent of said arbor carryingframe andhaving. pinch rolls journaled thereon substantially parallelwith and at substantially the same elevation as the cutter arbors, avertical bearing at one. side of the entry frame, and a verticallyextending trunnion carried at one end of the entry table and rotatablein said bearing for supporting said table cantilever fashion whereby thetable may be swung in a horizontal plane from working position at theentrance to the mill to a position at one side of the mill andsubstantially parallel to the line of feed to the mill.

2. A slitting mill in accordance with claim 1 characterized by the factthat the pinch rolls are mounted in spaced upright pinch roll columnswhich are attached to and extend upwardly of the platform, that a drivengear is mounted on the shaft of one of said pinch rolls at the journalend thereof and outboard of the pinch roll columns, that a driving gearshaft is mounted on the main frame of the slitting mill, said drivinggear shaft carrying a gear adapted to mesh with the first mentioned gearwhen the entry table is in operative position, said first mentioned gearswinging away from th other gear when the entry table is opened, thatmeans are provided for rotating said gear shaft when the entry table isin operative position to turn said one of the pinch rolls, and thatmeans are provided for sliding said driven gear.

RALPH w. HALL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 131,934 Brown Oct. 8, 1872 276,625 Perkins May 1, 1883 965,859Berlcebile Aug. 2, 1910 1,160,833 Braddock Nov. 16, 1915 1,424,309Johnson Aug. 1, 1922 1,916,280 Oliver July 4, 1933 2,021,220 Ballard etal. Nov. 19, 1935 2,210,018 Yoder Aug. 6, 1940 2,241,395 Egling May 13,1941 2,251,313 Yoder Aug. 5, 1941

